05 March 2014

US DOJ sues Sprint for wiretap overcharges!

Editor's note: Sprint didn't get the memo that you only have a blank check with the NSA for "reimbursements" -- not the DOJ! -- of course this begs the question: who at Obama's DOJ approved $21 million in overcharges for payment in the first place? Or was this some kind of political "kickback" that got caught up in an audit? Surely not every US government agency is as sloppy and wasteful as is apparently the DOJ?US sues Sprint for allegedly overcharging on wiretaps | Mobile - CNET News:"...The government filed a complaint against Sprint in US District Court in San Francisco on Monday. The complaint says that government agencies, like the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, were allegedly overcharged $21 million for wiretaps by Sprint. "Sprint inflated its charges by approximately 58 percent," the complaint reads. "As a result of Sprint's false claims, the United States paid over $21 million in unallowable costs from January 1, 2007 to July 31, 2010."..."Nadella Confirms Microsoft Leadership Changes, Hints at ReasonsWindows IT Pro...Reller's departure—and Mark Penn's ascension to overall strategy chief—is in many ways the bigger story here....Penn is an interesting case. He's infamous for his work on Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, for which he masterminded the 3 a.m. television commercial that questioned Barack Obama's experience. And at Microsoft he created the "Scroogled" ad campaign ... That "Scroogled" is divisive is not open to debate ... some loathe them and believe Microsoft shouldn't stoop to attacking a competitor, no matter how valid the argument... Microsoft endorses Penn as chief strategy officerPoliticoPenn, known as a champion of negative ads, was a divisive figure during Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, and, as a Microsoft executive, he was the mastermind behind the company's “Scroogled” ad campaign against Google. Nadella, who took the ...Apple shifts gears with CarPlay, its response to Google NowCNET (blog)One of the great boons that Google had long-reserved specifically for Android users was access to Google Now, the popular artificial intelligence platform that anticipates a person's actions based on contextual information like location or personal ...

Microsoft Dresses Up Enterprise AppsInformationWeekMicrosoft on Tuesday announced a wave of new Dynamics CRM and ERP applications and enhancements, tying most of the many marketing, social, mobile, and cloud-deployment enhancements to the theme of improving customer experience. The new apps ...

Apple Goes on Hiring Binge in Asia to Speed Product ReleasesWall Street JournalThe hiring push reflects Apple's need for more engineers to work with Asian suppliers on developing components for iPhones and iPads as it plans for faster and more-frequent product releases. Apple also is increasing its number of supply-chain managers ...

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer to retire after 18 yearsLos Angeles Times"His guidance, leadership and expertise have been instrumental to Apple's success, not only as our CFO but also in many areas beyond finance, as he frequently took on additional activities to assist across the company. His contributions and integrity ...

Apple CEO Tim Cook Is Increasingly Flexing His MusclesTIMETim Cook is getting more comfortable channeling the Steve Jobs's patented self-righteousness. At the company's annual shareholders meeting last week, the Apple CEO chafed at a request that Apple commit to not engaging in environmental initiatives that ...

Apple faces website blacklist in 'misleading' warranty claimsZDNetThe tech giant appealed and lost. The European Commission is also scrutinizing in-app purchases offered by companies including Apple and Google. Consumer groups in the U.K., Denmark, Italy and Belgium have raised concerns over the language used by ...

Google's Eric Schmidt talks about power and limits of InternetSan Jose Mercury NewsMOUNTAIN VIEW -- As the Internet increasingly connects people in more parts of the world, parents around the globe will find themselves bracing for a difficult talk with their kids,Google's Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen told a Silicon Valley audience ...

Why Facebook Wants to Buy a Drone CompanyFox BusinessIn an effort to expand Internet access in the developing world, Facebook (FB) may be about to leap into the drone industry. According to TechCrunch, Mark Zuckerberg's company is in talks to acquire startup Titan Aerospace, which makes near-orbital, ...